How It Came To Be
by Zuvie Girl
Summary: She was lonely and drunk. He was drunk and in love. We know how their story ended. This is how it came to be. LJ post-hogwarts non-canon.
1. Prologue

**A/N: It's been a long time since I've written anything, but as only a part-time student this year, I've gotten bored enough and distracted enough in class to start a few new projects. This one's a bit of a strange concept, but bear with it. As always, please read, review, and enjoy!**

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><p>(Late October, 1979)<p>

As she woke up, Lily Evans noticed several things at once. Her head felt like it had been in an accident with the Hogwarts Express, wherever she was felt really drafty, and the sunlight coming through the window of the unrecognizable room was really damn annoying. She then realized that she was snuggled up against a man's bare chest and being held there by his arm, which was draped over her - she realized with a jolt - also naked body. _Why couldn't it have actually just been drafty?!_

Hesitantly, she peeled her eyes open against the infernal sun, and slowly moved her glance upwards along the man's tanned and muscular torso. _What the hell, Lily_, she thought furiously to herself, _you just woke up in the same bed with a naked mystery man, now is not the time to be checking him out!_

The instant her eyes hit his unruly black hair, she squeezed them shut again, trying to assure herself that lots of guys had messy, jet black hair that somehow constantly looked windblown. Right?

She resigned herself to the inevitable and opened her eyes again to finally examine his face, and had to hold back her groan. She had evidently just spent a night of drunken sex with none other than James fricking Potter.

Lily stuck a hand out behind her, afraid that moving would wake him up, and willed her wand to come to her.

His soft snoring stopped for an instant, but started up again after Lily had placed him under a mild sleeping spell, which Healers usually used for uncooperative kids. She eased herself out from under his arm and crawled out of the bed to look for her clothes.

After scurrying around the room picking up various clothing items, grabbing her bra from where it was hanging from a doorknob, and summoning her missing shoe to her from out of the closet, Lily apparated back to her little apartment, knowing that she didn't have much time until he would probably wake up.

_Where's the damn train when you need it?_

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><p>James Potter woke up having dreamt that Lily Evans, his long time crush from school, had come home with him the night before. The clarity of the dream made him feel like he was 16 again, and he could practically smell the vanilla that was in her shampoo.<p>

He knew it was a dream though, regardless of how vivid it was. He hadn't seen or heard from Lily Evans in the almost year and half since they had graduated. He didn't know where she lived or what she did for a living, but he did know that the Quidditch bar he was at last night was the least likely place he would have found her at.

No, James told himself, there can't have been a girl in his room from the night before. According to Sirius, girls that go home with professional Quidditch players don't get up and leave in the morning without saying goodbye. And Sirius would know better than anyone.

The only thing James did know for sure was that he had a hangover the size of Britain. Running a hand through his hair, and grabbing his glasses off the nightstand, he headed to his bathroom for a hangover potion and a cold shower. He didn't even realize that the spot of bed next to him was still slightly warm, or that the pillows still smelled slightly of vanilla.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1 (7 weeks later)**

Carefully, Lily placed the little stick next to the two others already sitting on her bathroom counter. Then she sat down on the toilet and started to count the seconds.

After 10 minutes, she picked up the first stick. Two lines. _Damn_. Then the second, and the third. A plus sign, and another two lines. _Damn, damn, damn_.

As a final hope, and knowing that it would be 100% correct, Lily cast the standard Healer's diagnosis charm for pregnancy. A single, golden orb floated up from the tip of her wand. She sighed. That was it. There was no way she wasn't pregnant. _Damn_.

Lily slowly walked over to her kitchen table and unrolled a fresh piece of parchment.

'_Potter, we need to talk. Meet me at the coffee shop on the corner of River and Queens in Muggle London tomorrow at 7pm. It's urgent. LE'_

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><p>The next day, Lily was sitting at a small booth in the back corner of the coffee shop, nursing a steaming mug of coffee (decaf, of course), and waiting for James Potter.<p>

After a few minutes, he walked in, hair wet and a navy blue Puddlemere Quidditch bag slung over his shoulder. He scanned the little shop and quickly located Lily, walking over to hesitantly join her in the booth.

"Um, what's up, Evans? You needed to talk?" he asked uncertainly.

Lily took a deep breath and slid a plastic bag holding one of the pregnancy tests across the table towards him.

"I don't know what that is," he said, confused.

Still silently, Lily tapped the key on the side of the test.

James' eyes widened, and he looked between the little plastic stick and Lily.

"You're pregnant?" he whispered, shocked. "Why am I here?"

Speaking for the first time since James sat down, Lily mumbled, "You're here because you're the father."

James was flabbergasted. "What? When?"

Lily didn't look at him as she answered, "A month and a half ago, after Puddlemere beat the Wasps, I think. We must have met up at the pub, because I woke up hung-over in your bed."

"I knew it!" James exclaimed. "Merlin, that makes me feel better about myself! I thought it was just a really randy dream!"

Lily glanced up from her coffee for just enough time to shoot him a scathing look.

"Er, sorry," James apologized, properly abashed. "I never pegged you to be the type to join Quidditch celebrations at pubs, especially not for a team that I play on."

"I wasn't there for Quidditch, and certainly not for you. Bad timing and worse luck," Lily said bitterly.

James looked at the despondent red head across the table from him, and just watched her for a few moments. Then he said, "Evans, why were you at the pub that night? Why did you agree to come home with me?"

Finally, snapping, Lily stared at James, and began to rant. "Why was I there that night? Because I was trying to drink away my miserable excuse for a life! I get up in the morning, go to Healer training, come home, do my reading and studying, and then go to sleep! I'm still top in my class, but nobody cares because there's only four of us, and we're at the bottom of the entire St. Mungo's system!"

"Evans-" James tried to interrupt.

"My best friend from Hogwarts is married and in Auror training, so has absolutely no time for me and I don't ever talk to anybody other than my damn owl. How's that for pathetic?!"

"Lily-" he tried again, to no avail.

"I live in a one room flat in the middle of absolutely nowhere because I can't afford anything else! And now I've gone and gotten myself pregnant! I'm going to look like a slag, I'm going to have to drop out of Healer training, I don't have the money to raise a baby, and my baby is never going to know its father!"

"Lily!" James all but yelled, grabbing her hands in his own. "Listen to me, for once! You are _not _a slag. You're the most beautiful woman in this shop. _Our_ baby is going to know its father, and its father is going to help provide for it! Do you really think that little of me? Even after seventh year as Heads together? We'll figure something out, I promise."

Lily sniffed and muttered something that sounded like "Loo," before quickly shuffling to the back of the room. James, meanwhile, started running through every possible situation he could think of in his head.

A few minutes later, Lily returned, her eyes a little red, but overall more composed.

As soon as she sat down, James blurted out, "Move in with me!"

Lily blinked. "I'm sorry?"

James nodded his head. "Move in with me. We can pretend that we're together, engaged even, maybe. My flat is plenty big for a baby."

She scoffed. "That's what this is all about for you, isn't it? Just an excuse to finally get me after all these years?"

"No!" James immediately shot back. "Evans, it's my baby too! I want to help. You know how I felt about you, but I want to help. Truly, I do."

"Well, if you pretend that we're together, or engaged, or whatever, you're going to have to stop getting together with random girls you meet at Quidditch. And, what will the press think about the random girls you got together with in the last month? How are you going to explain that?"

James blinked at her, and with total sincerity, said, "Lily, there won't be any other girls, and there haven't been any other girls. The media knows that. Sirius usually takes home two or three girls at once, which may be why you think that, but there would be no complications to pretending."

Lily shook her head. "How are you not more concerned about this? Aren't you scared? Overwhelmed? We're only 19…"

He shrugged. "Well, yeah, I mean, I'm surprised. Shocked, even. But it happened, and we can't very well undo it at this point. And we can handle it – you're a genius, and I'm an improviser. One of us has got to hold it together, right?"

Lily rolled her eyes at James' smirk.

"Better now?" James asked, examining her face, carefully.

Lily thought about it for a few seconds, and then replied, "Getting there. I have a lot of thinking to do. Er, thank you for meeting me here, and for your offer."

They got up to go their separate ways, and after James had slung his bag over his shoulder, he stopped Lily by grabbing her hand, and pulled her close to him.

"You can't get rid of me now, Evans. By the way, you really are the prettiest girl in this entire shop right now. Owl me when you make a decision, love," he called out with a wink as he walked away.

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><p>"…and then he invited me to move in with him, Darcy. Said that we would pretend to be together, or even engaged, to make it look better on my part. Can you imagine that? Me, engaged to James Potter, the boy who I nearly killed every time I saw him for seven years. How in Merlin's name am I supposed to respond to that?"<p>

Big, brown eyes blinked slowly twice, but their owner gave no response.

"What the hell am I thinking? I'm not about to get any response out of my damn owl best friend."

And with that, Lily sighed exasperatedly and threw herself onto her small bed to weigh her pros and cons.

_Pro: my already fragile public image won't be shattered if I have a "boyfriend" or "fiancé." Con: It's Potter. Pro: I'll have the space and money to take care of the baby. Con: Potter. Pro: My baby will know his or her dad. Con: Again, Potter. Ugh…_

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><p>Four days later, Lily stood outside of a door, dragging her trunk with one hand and holding her owl cage in the other, and prepared to knock. She took a deep breath and quickly rapped on the door three times. After shifting from foot to foot for a few minutes, she was just about to knock again when the door was pulled open.<p>

James Potter stood there blinking, a towel wrapped around his waist and a hand in his wet hair.

"Evans!" he finally exclaimed, coming to his senses. "I didn't think you were going to take me up on the offer. It's been several days."

Lily flushed, staring at her feet. "I needed time to think," she muttered. "This is the best option."

James grabbed her trunk and started to haul it into the spacious flat, inviting Lily inside and asking her to wait in the main room while he ran into another.

He returned a few minutes later, fully dressed and carrying a small wooden box. He joined her on the couch, and began to nervously point around the apartment.

"So, this is the living room. The fireplace is hooked up to Floo, and the box on the mantle is full of Floo Powder. Kitchen's over there – there's not much food right now, we can go shopping later today, there's a little Muggle market a few blocks away…" his rant trailed off as he noticed Lily was actually smiling a little bit. "What?"

"I've never seen you this uncomfortable in a situation before, that's all," she replied, with a slight laugh. "Go on."

"Oh, erm, alright. There's not really a dining room, since I never really ate here much before. That's my bedroom over there, there's the bathroom, and that's the spare bedroom, which I was thinking we can probably make into the nursery."

Lily got up and started for the spare bedroom to inspect its potential as a nursery, but was cut off as James ran to intercept her and threw his arms out in front of the door.

"Sirius may or may not have brought a girl back with him last night. I haven't heard them leave yet, so you probably don't want to go in there. Let's sit back down."

As soon as she took her place on the couch back, she turned to James, stricken looking after realizing what he had just said. "Black lives here too? I can't deal with both of you and being pregnant at the same time."

James looked slightly affronted. "No, he doesn't. My place is just a lot closer to the bars than his is. He likes to spend nights here if he's got a girl with him. But he can go back to sleeping at his place."

"Does he know?" Lily asked, gesturing at her stomach.

"Ahh… no. I didn't know if you wanted him to know the real story or the story we'll tell the media."

Lily thought for a moment. "Tell him the real story. I get the feeling that I'm stuck with him, so he deserves to know. What exactly is this media story?"

James picked up the little box, and opened it to reveal several rows of elaborate rings. Lily stared at the diamonds, rubies, sapphires, emeralds, and more.

He smiled gently as he watched her. "This is part one of the media story. Pick whichever one you like. They were my mother's. I know which one I'd pick for you, but I'm probably wrong, so it's your choice."

After a few moments, Lily picked up a gold ring with a large, circular emerald in the center of it. There were delicate swirls on the top and bottom of the ring, and diamonds were sprinkled throughout them. It was large, but not obnoxiously so, and quite unique.

James' eyes lit up and he grinned. "That was the one I thought you'd pick! Put it on, and it'll size itself for you.

Lily did, and lifted her hand to admire the ring. "Thank you," she said, quietly. "But you don't need to let me use your mother's things."

"No, no, it's fine. For your sake, I'm making this engagement look as real as possible. I figured you didn't want me going out and buying you a ring though, because then it makes it too real."

She nodded. "Good call, Potter, good call. So, what's the plan?"

James gave a bit of an evil laugh, and responded with, "I thought you'd never ask. Okay, I don't know if you know it or not, but it's currently off-season for the Quidditch league. That game against the Wasps was the second to last. I'll still have practice a few times a week, and there'll be the occasional social event, but no traveling to games. The story is that last season, while I was away for five months, I started writing back and forth with a girl I knew from back at Hogwarts. I'd always make a point to stop by and see her on the nights that I was in London, and thus, our current predicament."

He paused and gave a short little jab to her stomach, which resulted with his hand being slapped and a wand in his face.

He put his hands up in surrender, and then continued. "I asked you to marry you on one of those London nights, and you said yes! You never wore the ring to St. Mungo's because you were scared of getting it covered in guts and slime and stuff, Although, you mentioned it to me, and I told you that the ring is already charmed to not get dirty, so you can wear it to training now. You could never make it to any of my matches because you're just so studious, and you like me for my body and my wit, not my Quidditch skills. But now that it's off-season, I can spend time with you. We plan on announcing it officially at the Puddlemere Club end-of-season ball the night after tomorrow?"

"I like you for your body and your wit?," Lily said, after simply staring at him for a few moments, "You are certifiably insane."

"And you love me for it," James replied, cheekily.

"Ha," Lily replied shortly. "If you excuse me, I'm going to investigate your kitchen and then head to training."

She got up and briefly disappeared into the bedroom, only to reappear a moment later dressed in the lime green Healer robes. She was going through the fridge and cupboards when the door to the spare bedroom opened.

"Prongs? I thought I heard voices…" Sirius, wearing only low-riding pajama pants, trailed off as he saw Lily, his mouth hanging open.

Lily on the other hand, slammed the last cupboard shut and disappeared into the fire with a cry of "St. Mungo's!" and a flash of green.

"Shit," James mumbled, suddenly finding his mother's jewelry box very interesting.

"Prongs, was that Lily Evans?" Sirius asked, after a few moments of heavy silence.

"Erm, yes. Look, get rid of the girl, and then I'll explain everything. Marauder's honor."


End file.
